A number of devices have been developed to cut stone blocks into smaller slabs for domestic or commercial use. U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,503 discloses one such device. Another device is the Tiger Diamond Belt Saw, which is commercially available from Park Industries, Inc. of St. Cloud, Minn. Each of those devices includes a saw having a continuous cutting belt that is moved upwardly and downwardly relative to the stone block.
A guide assembly may be used to direct the continuous cutting belt along a substantially straight cutting path. The guide assembly may include a support frame and a wear strip or bar that is secured to the frame. In prior art devices, the support frame included multiple pieces that extend the length of the frame and are welded or secured together with screws. Typically, the width of the continuous cutting belt was no less than 0.535 inches, which resulted in the removal of material along a substantially straight cutting path having a width of at least 0.570 to 0.600 inches.
Despite these prior devices, there is still a need to reduce the amount of material removed by the belt during a cutting operation and thereby increase the amount of material remaining after the block is cut into slabs.